Warriors shrug off Curry absence to beat Rockets

(The Sports Xchange) - With Stephen Curry out of action due to an ankle injury Monday night, Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr was comforted knowing he had Shaun Livingston in reserve.

Oh, and the 2015 NBA Finals Most Valuable Player, too.

Livingston began and ended a key fourth-quarter spurt with baskets, and supersub Andre Iguodala helped make up for Curry's lost firepower with four 3-pointers as the Warriors won a second straight from the Houston Rockets in their best-of-seven series, 115-106.

Golden State, now 2-0 in the postseason after a record-setting, 73-win regular season, was able to win without Curry, who injured his right ankle late in the second quarter of the Warriors' blowout win in Game 1 on Saturday. He had been listed as questionable for Game 2.

The reigning regular-season Most Valuable Player, who scored 24 points in just 20 minutes in Game 1, declared himself out shortly after cutting short a pregame warmup that was designed to test the ankle.

"When you lost the MVP, you have concern," Kerr said. "But we believe in our depth and in our ability to win when we're down a man, even if it is Steph."

Curry's status for Game 3, which is scheduled for Thursday night in Houston, remains up in the air.

"We never want to put winning ahead of a player's career and his health," Kerr said. "We want to make sure Steph is right and his (ankle) is fine and healthy.

"Obviously, being up 2-0 does give us more cushion if we decide to sit him (in Game 3). But it will be based on his health, not the series score."
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